Chapter 5

 

 

The nerves and anxiety were only getting worse the next morning as ten o’clock approached. Hannah was trying desperately to keep herself occupied so she couldn’t think of her meeting but it was virtually impossible. Even hosing out the empty cages reminded her of the dog she was going to attempt to buy.

“You know, if it’s not what we think it is,” Harry started. “You’re going to have a dog.”

“Don’t say that, my mom would kill me if I brought a dog home. She doesn’t do pets, she’s made that painfully clear throughout my entire childhood,” Hannah insisted. She had lost count of how many times she had asked for a cat or a dog. Even a goldfish would have done. Every time, Coco had shot down her request. She always said the same thing: children were enough of a handful. “Is it wrong to want the dog to be stolen so we can return it to its owner?”

“And avoid your mom’s wrath? Yeah, it’s probably okay.” Harry grinned that adorable smile he had but it only slightly made her feel better.

The bell rung from the front reception counter, grabbing both their attention. “I’ll get it,” Harry offered. He dropped his wet sponge, dried his hands on his shorts, and left her there. She continued with the hose, determined to focus on only her tasks.

Eight minutes later, Harry returned, holding another missing animal report in his hand. “You’re never going to guess what just got reported as missing.”

Hannah suspected she knew exactly what it was. “Let me guess, a Dachshund?”

Harry nodded. “I guess you don’t have to worry about taking home a dog today after all.”

While that was a relief, it wasn’t Hannah’s main concern. “We need to tell Cory what’s going on.”

“She might stop us meeting with the guy.”

“He might be dangerous, I’d feel better if someone knew what we were up to,” she confessed. If there was anything drilled into her growing up, it was that adults needed to know what was going on. The last thing Hannah wanted to do was to get herself into something she couldn’t get herself out of. And meeting with a dognapper was right up that alley.

They found Cory in her office and reeled off everything they had discovered. She listened to the whole story before she said anything, just nodding her head in the interim.

“And you think this man will sell you the stolen Dachshund today?” She finally asked. They both nodded in response. “Do either of your parents know about this?” This time, they shook their heads. “You could be doing something very stupid.”

“We know,” Hannah replied. “But we didn’t think the police would believe us so we thought if we found some evidence…”

“With evidence we could show them exactly what’s happened so they would take us seriously,” Harry finished.

Cory studied them both, considering everything they had told her. She pouted her lips, deep in concentration. Just when they thought she was going to forbid them, she spoke. “You are going to need to wear a microphone so we can record the conversation.”

“So you’ll let us do it?” Hannah asked in shock. It wasn’t the response she was really expecting – only hoping for.

“I’ll come with you so I can supervise but I’m going to deny knowledge of it all if your parents ask. I would rather deal with a dognapper than parents. Okay?”

“Deal.”

Cory pulled down a box from the top shelf of her desk and opened it. Inside were a bundle of wires. She pulled at one, teasing it out of the knot until it was free. She handed over the microphone. “We use these for suspected abuse cases. Put this on and make sure it can’t be seen.”

Hannah accepted the wire. On one end was a small microphone on a clip and on the other was a black box, presumably to record the voices. She knew from movies she had seen that the box clipped onto your pants at the back while the wire snaked up and around to be taped to your chest. She picked up some tape and headed out the back.

She struggled to get it right. It was difficult holding up her top with one hand and getting the wire in the sticky tape with the other. Harry couldn’t watch her any longer.

“Let me help you,” he offered, grabbing the tape. She let him take the wire and held up her top as much as she was comfortable with.

She held her breath as he reached around and tucked in the box, taping the wire at intervals as he brought it around to her stomach and started moving upwards. His fingers tickled, sending out tingles of warmth wherever he touched her bare skin.

She could feel his breath on her skin he was so close. She tried not to notice, desperately trying to keep the blushing out of her cheeks. He was just doing a job, just attaching the microphone so they could gather evidence. Nothing more. Yet she was still acutely aware of how close he was to her.

“You might want to do this last bit,” Harry said, holding up the microphone. He had reached her ribcage and the edge of her top. Hannah wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought he might be blushing himself just a little.

“Thanks,” she replied. She slipped the microphone up underneath her top and nestled it into her bra. With one last piece of tape, she secured it in place. “Can you see it?” She asked without thinking, forgetting she was actually asking Harry to look at her chest.

He glanced quickly. “I think it’s hidden. Does it feel alright?”

“I think so.”

“Are you sure you still want to do this?” He looked at her with concern; it only made her smile at his worry for her. It was sweet. “You can still back out, I can take your place.”

“I’m the one he’s been talking to, I’ll be fine. You and Cory will be watching me. If anything happens, you’ll be there in two seconds.”

“We will be,” Harry assured her resolutely. She didn’t doubt it for even a moment. They would have her back; they wouldn’t let anything happen to her. “You’re going to need this too.”

He pulled out a wad of cash, the asking price of one hundred and fifty dollars. She hadn’t even thought of how they were going to pay for the dog, she scolded herself for not thinking about it sooner.

“I can’t take your money,” she insisted.

“Just take it, we’ll get it back when the guy is arrested.”

“You might not get it back.”

“Hannah, just take it.” He held out the money, refusing to take it back. She didn’t like it but didn’t see any other option. She knew Harry came from a family that could afford it, but she didn’t want to take advantage of him. She normally never even thought about the difference in their family’s earnings.

“Thank you. I’ll try to make sure you get it back,” she promised. “We should get going, it’s almost ten o’clock. I don’t want to be late.”

Harry agreed. He gathered up Cory and she drove them to Hanson Park. She parked a discrete distant away. Far enough so they couldn’t be noticed, close enough to see what was going on.

Hannah got out and walked into the park by herself. She held the money in an envelope nervously, her sweaty fingers gripping it tightly. If the guy didn’t show soon, she thought for sure she would have a heart attack before they could meet.

“Hannah?” The male voice came from behind. She spun around, seeing a short and stocky guy in his twenties. His hair was closely shaven in a buzz cut and he spoke with a slight lisp. He didn’t seem like the criminal mastermind she was expecting.

“Yes, that’s me,” she replied, trying not to let her nerves show. “Are you the one selling the Dachshund puppy?” He didn’t have a dog with him, but she knew she didn’t know him from anywhere else. The knot in her stomach got worse.

“I am. Do you have the money?”

“Where’s the puppy?”

“In the car, I’ll bring him over after I’m paid,” he said, standing a bit too close for comfort. His eyes kept moving, darting everywhere but on her face.

“You said one hundred and fifty?” She didn’t know whether she should give him the money without seeing the dog. Was he just scamming her? Did the dog even exist? She wondered whether she had stumbled over an entirely different scam than they had first thought.

“That’s right.”

“I want to see the dog first,” Hannah demanded, as politely as possible. She didn’t want to make him mad but didn’t want to just hand over Harry’s money on a promise from a dodgy stranger either. “How will I know if I love him if I haven’t seen him?”

“He’s cute, you’re going to love him. The money first and then I’ll get him.”

He didn’t seem like he was going to budge. He was clearly much better at negotiations than she was. Hannah was painfully aware of that fact. She handed him the envelope, silently praying he would keep his end of the bargain. “It’s all there. I want to take him now.”

“Wait on the seat over there and I’ll go get him.” He nodded towards a park bench sitting underneath a tree.

“Don’t be too long, I need to get home,” Hannah said, hoping she wouldn’t be sitting there all day and he wouldn’t turn up. The Dachshund had been reported missing; he had to have the dog. Perhaps one of the scams was selling him to a few different people and giving him to only one? It was entirely possible.

She sat on the bench as directed and waited. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Harry and Cory in the car, wondering what she was doing. She gave them a slight nod of her head to reassure them. To anyone else watching her, it would have just seemed like she was scratching her nose. They understood the signal though and stayed in the car.

Hannah waited. And waited. As each moment passed, the knot grew impossibly tight. So tight that she wondered whether it would ever be unraveled.